Sunday, 27 March 2016

Talking Heads

In the last couple of weeks there have been people making comments of dubious veracity about the European Union.On the Leave side is Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson. He is a man who until recently was not really in favour of leaving the European Union at all. It is my belief that he is using the current campaign as a dry run to challenge for the leadership of the Conservative party. Mr Johnson's comments on the European Union have not been helpful to the Leave cause when 'Stronger In' can state the following: "Leave campaigns directly contradict themselves within a matter of days. We can't believe a word they say on Europe" and then Stronger in Europe able to quote two directly contradictory statements Mr Johnson has made within 10 days of each other. Mr Johnson also made what is widely reported as 'train crash' appearance in front of the House of Commons Treasury Committee where he did not know his brief and was caught out on several occasions about his public statements. My message to Mr Johnson is that this is not a campaign for the leadership of the Conservative Party or to be Prime Minister. It is far more important than that. This is a campaign for the future governance and independence of the United Kingdom. So Mr Johnson: Keep Quiet, you do not represent anyone but yourself.Then there is the remain side.Gideon Oliver 'George' Osborne is up there in the pantheon of the misleaders. In the budget he said that the OBR - the Office for Budget Responsibility said "a vote to leave in the forthcoming referendum could usher in an extended period of uncertainty regarding the precise terms of the UK’s future relationship with the EU. This could have negative implications for activity via business and consumer confidence and might result in greater volatility in financial and other asset markets." I would urge readers to note the use of the conditional word 'could' and the important 'might' in the above sentence. None the less the OBR has said that it has been quoted out of context: "The watchdog would disagree, pointing out that it is required by Parliament to make its economic forecasts without considering "alternatives" to the "current policy of the current Government" – i.e. continued EU membership. "It is not for us to judge at this stage what the impact of ‘Brexit’ might be on the economy and the public finances", it stressed.The OBR is meant to be independent and it shows what a low life Mr Osborne is in trying to call the OBR's words in aid of his contention that the United Kingdom should remain in the European Union and yet quote them out of contextThen there is Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe. The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service is reported in the Sunday Express to warn against Brexit: "Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has warned that a Brexit would lead to a "bureaucratic nightmare" which would increase Britain's security risk while police powers will be damaged.

He said: "We've got the European extradition warrant which is a very effective, consistent, simply way between 20-odd countries of extraditing people.

"I suspect if we did come out you would have to have a similar bilateral arrangement with 20-odd countries. I doubt the system would change but you've got bureaucratic nightmare."

Now the important words in the above statement are "I doubt the system would change"

Meanwhile Moody's, the credit agency says the damage to the United Kingdom economy of leaving the European Union would be 'small'.

In other words there are lots of talking heads making dire warnings about what would happen if the United Kingdom left the European Union. Their only positive seems to be the fear of leaving.

This referendum is not about the CBI, the OBR, the Government, the leadership of the Conservative Party or anything else.

This referendum is a decision of the people, of the electors, the individual in their own judgement.

If you want to be governed in Brussels or Strasbourg by a supranational German dominated state where your voice counts for nothing and where you can be outvoted and ignored under Qualified Majority Voting (QMV) then vote to remain.

If you want to be governed by the people of the United Kingdom who loan power to their elected representatives and have the opportunity to reject the party in power; if you want to live in an Independent Sovereign State which has a loud independent voice in the United Nations and the places of World Governance then vote to leave the European Union.

Nothing will change the day after a vote to Leave. The Civil Service and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will simply get their copy of "The Market Solution"